How did Odin go to Valhalla even though he didn’t die in battle?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder.

A new plot hole has emerged from Thor: Love and Thunder, and it’s causing fans to scratch their head in confusion.

The fourth Thor installment hit theatres worldwide to three parts praise, one part criticism. Two-time Thor director Taika Waititi’s signature tone prevailed throughout the film, carrying on the comedic energy from Thor: Ragnarok. Fans of the New Zealand director were fond of his unique touch, and perhaps more apt to forgive the missteps that this installment encountered, but the same can’t be said for everyone else. 

One such misstep involved the Viking heaven known as Valhalla, one of Norse mythology’s five realms dedicated to the deceased. The realm was mentioned several times in the movie as a heaven for Vikings, a hall of slain warriors where there’s an endless supply of food and drink. It’s revealed by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) that only those who die on the battlefield can go to Valhalla. As he stands over Sif, a fellow Asgardian warrior, he tells her that she must die on the battlefield if she hopes to go to Valhalla, a fact that holds true to traditional Norse mythology.

The ending of the movie saw the death of Jane Foster, who spent the film as Mighty Thor. Jane, as we learn, is suffering from cancer, and wielding Mjolnir and being imbued with the power of Thor is not enough to heal that cancer. In fact, it weakens her. She dies fighting Gorr the God Butcher, and is cradled in Thor’s arms in her final moments. As she breathes her last breath, her body evaporates into glittery gold light and is swept away on the wind into the heavens. Even though she wasn’t a Viking, she died in battle and is granted entry into Valhalla.

The last time we saw a glittery death such as Jane’s was in Thor: Ragnarok when Odin said goodbye to his sons. If such a glittery death equals a trip to Valhalla, it’s safe to assume Odin ended up there too, but that doesn’t add up because, well, he didn’t die on a battlefield.

How did Odin go to Valhalla even though he didn’t die in battle?

You ask a great question. Unfortunately, by MCU’s standards, it cannot be answered, as the franchise created a plot hole the size of the Bifrost.

Thor’s claim that only those who die on the battlefield can make it to Valhalla is a very accurate statement according to Norse mythology, but it doesn’t hold true to the MCU guidelines laid out in its previous film. It’s not like we expect the King of Asgard to end up anywhere other than Valhalla, but if dying on the battlefield was indeed a requirement, the writers should have thought that through before having Odin die sitting peacefully on a rock in front of the ocean.

We see the potential foreshadowing they’re creating by sending Jane to Valhalla the way that they did. Chris Hemsworth can’t play Thor forever. Although we don’t know how his storyline will end, the writers have created a safety net so that when all is said and done, Thor, like Captain America, can live out the rest of his days with the love of his life.

It’s a neat bow they’ve tied, but it rests on an uneven box. The mystery of Valhalla is just the latest installment in the growing list of plot holes the MCU has created in Phase Four. One can only hope that they will resolve themselves once we round Phase Four and head into Phase Five.